The present invention relates to a seal structure of an automotive vehicle with a storing-type roof which comprises openable plural roof members of a first roof member, a second roof member, and a third roof member.
In general, the storing-type roof comprises the openable plural roof members of the first roof member, the second roof member, and the third roof member, and is configured to have a roof fully-closed position in which an upper side of a cabin is covered with these roof members and a stored position (a roof fully-open position) in which the first and second roof members are stored in a storing space provided behind a seat. In the above-described roof structure, respective gaps are formed between the first roof member and the second roof member and between the second roof member and the third roof member.
Herein, a seal structure to seal the above-described respective gaps, in which a front weather strip is provided between the first roof member and the second roof member, a rear weather strip is provided between the second roof member and the third roof member, a roof-side weather strip is provided at an end portion, in a vehicle width direction, of the second roof member, and a vertical weather strip to drain water from the roof side weather strip to a vehicle outside below a floor, may be considered.
In a case where the plural weather strips are provided as described above, however, if the strength of the water flowing in from a specified portion is strong like the high-speed washing, the water reversely flows toward the other portion so that the water does not flow smoothly. Consequently, there is a problem that if the water overflows from the weather strips, some watermark may be created.
Meanwhile, Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2010-089694 discloses a structure of an automotive vehicle which comprises a front roof, a center roof, and a rear roof, in which a pillar weather strip extending in a vehicle vertical direction is provided at a specified position corresponding to a front end of the center roof, and a water-drain hole extending in the vertical direction is provided inside the pillar weather strip, wherein water is drained through the inside of the pillar weather strip. However, there is still room for improvement in the formability or the rectification (flow straightening) properties.